#make the best out of a bad situation i guess!!

[batboyblog]

See I kind of get the idea of wanting her to at least say “I’ll comply but I’m not happy about it” even if that does t fix anything it feels like more self respect?

But as it’s been said Sarah McBride is in a bad situation, perhaps her coming across as “weak” will let the republicans underestimate her and allow her to slip some good in under her radar.

my thought is, Sarah McBride is the first trans person elected to a State Senate seat, she's the first trans person elected to Congress and the first trans person to win a statewide election anywhere in the United States.

SO! I'm going to say that she knows best how to deal with politically motivated transphobia.

people might say "well I would have said..." but in this case maybe just maybe defer to the expert, she's broken so many barriers, overcome so much, opened the way for everyone who might want to follow her. You do not live her life if you are weak, it takes unspeakable strength and will power to do what she has done. She's a very strong person and I think everyone owes her the respect to allow her to handle her business how she thinks is best and again since she's the first trans person to win a statewide election, I'm just gonna guess here, she's right, whatever she chooses to do is likely the smartest best move a trans politician could make because spoiler she's the greatest trans politician in American history.

I was gonna end there, but I am again reminded of the words of the legendary Ann Richards

"I think of all the political fights I’ve fought, and all the compromises I’ve had to accept as part payment. And I think of all the small victories that have added up to national triumphs and all the things that would never have happened and all the people who would’ve been left behind if we had not reasoned and fought and won those battles together. And I will tell Lily that those triumphs were Democratic Party triumphs."

Thats politics, all the compromises, often painful, she doesn't say the set backs up yes the set backs, but you stay in the field you keep fighting even when they humiliate you, because if you give up and go away, like they want you to, all the people who get left behind, so you tough it out, for them if not yourself.

[honey-bitch]

The Wizard Liz Astrology observation.

I came across a video of her's and I thought... she's so Capricorn. And guess what she is. So here's a deep dive

Sun and Venus in Capricorn - The Wizard Liz is very ambitious and is materialistic. She's a hard worker, I remember watching a video of hers and her just saying 'when I do a job I do it to the best of my abilities, like when I was a cleaner I made sure the toilets were spotless'. Which is very Capricorn of her to say. Working hard comes naturally to her, as not only does she have a Capricorn sun her sun in at 10 degrees which is a Capricorn sign.

NOT TO MENTION SHE HAS VENUS CONJUNCT NEPTUNE VERY VERY PRETTY GIRL. She actually comes off as a fantasy, like I can't stop going on about how pretty she is, not to mention is that she's spiritual and creative. OH YEAH SHE'S A YOUTUBER AND NEPTUNE RULES OVER CAMERA.

Moon in cancer - looking back this makes so much sense. The Wizard Liz has a very strong relationship to her mother, and in her videos there's a bit of polarisation (sun and moon are at opposition). Being that she looks and says words that indicate that she doesn't give AF, however in actuality she's very sensitive. I don't think being sensitive is a bad thing and in fact I applaud her idgaf attitude as her moon being in the 1st degree, can indicate that she's especially sensitive about herself. I in fact appreciate her even more being that she's working on it, she's building up her self esteem.

Not to mention that the moon represents the mother and the sun the father. With the opposition happening with the planets this can indicate that her parents had a bad relationship/are now separated.

Mars in libra - This actually makes another of sense being that yes she's aggressive, but is aggressively emphatic. Yes she's telling you that it's pathetic that you're hung over your ex, but she does it out kindness and empathy. She's not yelling at the viewer for sadistc purposes but rather to help. She can see both sides of the situation. Also her mars is sextile mercury (lololol funny) and is at 18 degrees which is the very rigid virgo degree, I think this is what makes her less wishy washy than the typical libra placement.

Jupiter in pisces - she's abundant in kindness. If you watch her videos, she comes from a place of kindness and love. She genuinely wants to help others and help them improve. Not to mention that her Jupiter is at 22* which is the kill or be killed degree/ a Capricorn degree. So it makes sense with how she utilises this kindness... which is that she makes money of helping others. Which is very pisces.

Saturn in aries - she's very aggressive when it comes to discipline and is very particular with how things should be and how it should be done. However looking back she does have a little bit of. a childish attitude to her which is typical for Aries placements. Also when looking at her chart her Saturn squares mercury, which could explain how her scolding comes off a bit childish. I'm not saying this from a stand point of you know talking shit but objectively, the Wizard Liz can't actually force you to clean your room, however Is scolding you from the screen. If u get what I'm saying u get what I'm saying.

Pluto and mercury in Sagittarius - She's very fiery in speech and funny enough she went to a different country to use her voice to educate others. That makes also of sense being that sagittarius is the sign that's known for traveling and leaving home. Not to mention her pluto is at 9 degrees and her mercury is at 21 degrees which are sagittarius degrees.

With her Uranus and Neptune being in Aquarius. I can see how this has affected her online persona, she's remarkably beautiful like really really really beautiful(Neptune), and I think that's why she's so remarkable. and I think majority of her success can be contributed to her looks. With Neptune being at 1 degree, it could manifest as her beauty being so striking, being that it's in an aries degree and I believe Neptune being in Aquarius can manifest as her having captivated the internet in a way. Also funny enough her Uranus is again at 10 degrees which is a Capricorn degree, and the chaos she stirs up is very Capricorn. Being that people have cristised her for being selfish and materialistic (lowkey Capricorn traits - btw I'm a cap moon and rising so I'm kinda insulting myself sooo yeah).

Her Chiron and Lilith are both in scorpio which can manifest as her, experiencing immense manipulation and having experienced a very toxic environment. Her father had an affair which is one of the attributes of having a Lilith in scorpio. However I find that her having Chiron at 29 degrees, makes her extremely wises 29 degrees is the pisces degree and the last degree it has carried all the past lessons and has become wise. She's very wise when it comes to her own trauma, she's able to learn from it and rise from the ashes. that I find incredible she's a very strong person to be able to do that.

North node in Leo at 22 degrees - this is definitely a fame degree, and she needs to power through to get to her goal.

Hmm I feel that she may be either an Aquarius rising or a Capricorn rising, so she was born with at 9-11 am. Being that being a cap rising can explain her beauty with Venus in the 1st or 12th and she does come off hard working. however her being Aquarius also makes alot of sense, she was seen as aloof growing up and didn't have a lot of friends, not to mention that she has striking features very Uranus in the 1st house and Neptune in the 1st makes sense swell. She definitely has Venus in the 12th because she's so private with her love life. Yeah and she definitely has felt more comfortable later in life compared to her when she was a teenager, although she was still very very pretty.

Lololol this came of as a bit of a Wizard Liz Glaze, however I just found this quite interesting . Hopefully this doesn't come across as me being a stalker though it kinda lowkey is

[a-lilypad]

if any of u read my fireman james au and think "wait..isn't this basically what happened to ailish last week?" ......no it isn't (i'm too lazy to think up a different backstory and i think the random hole in carpet to electrical fire pipeline is just so fucking funny)

[dulcewrites]

I’m actually curious to see if, and honestly hope, in s2 (whenever that may come out. Studios pay your writers and actors) we get some sort of callback or allusion to the rumor that Jacaerys tried to convert Cregan from the old gods to the faith of the seven.

Not because I care about the gods, outside the religious symbolism they bring. I only want to see people’s reactions. Namely the ones who act as if Alicent is the first woman to ever openly practice the faith. Because I have a feeling those same people will paint Jace possibly doing that as endearing versus Alicent who gets painted as a monster for her connection to the faith. The most we see Alicent doing a redecorating her home. Mind you, not even every room because you can clearly see the tacky tapestries in Viserys’ room in ep 8. Plus we see her praying and wearing religious iconography. Things that are not out of the ordinary… at all. She’s honestly your textbook highborn noble woman during that time. She was born and raised in Oldtown ffs. What is she supposed to follow if not the faith💀

She gets seen as this horrible zealot out to destroy the Targaryens through the faith, and to me that is just indicative on how badly people misinterpret Alicent’s feelings/motivations.

People can have their problems with the writing in hotd. I know there are certain things I have problems with myself. But when can we start being honest about how a lot of the conversations that are regurgitated and argued about day after day have less to do with the writing, and more to do with bad faith viewing. People are watching to see what they want to see, not what is actually in front of them.

Anyone with an objective view of Alicent would be able to tell how much she clings to the faith for salvation and hope. She does it to feel close to her mother, and very kindly/cautiously tries to help Rhaenyra with that too. She then reaffirms her faith after 1. She (imo justifiably) loses her shit at Driftmark and feels guilty about it, and 2. Has to marry her children to each other. Something she expresses thinking is immoral in the past. We even see her cut her hair, more than likely as a means of punishment and repentance. She’s miserable and has very few lifelines to hold onto.

How that gets twisted into her being a bigot because she doesn’t want to see dragons having orgies on her walls is beyond me.

Also the idea she is trying to bring down House Targaryen is nuts, but also laughable. Because between her and her actual Targaryen husband, Alicent is the one affirming her childrens’ Targaryen heritage. She makes sure Aemond knows he will get a dragon one day. She makes sure Aegon gets Blackfyre and his namesake’s crown. It seems like Aemond, and more than likely her other kids, know Valyrian. Ironically, the most anti targ (and frankly valid) sentiments we get are from Viserys. He speaks on the doom, fears what is to come, and how they never should have messed with dragons.

Alicent ‘let the people remember the ancient strength of House Targaryen’ Hightower is not the Baelor y’all want her to be. And if she was, it would’ve worked in her favor more. People tend to leave out the part where the most beloved Targaryens (by their people) were partly that because of their connection to the faith. Ya know the thing Targaryens also practice.

[peridotproject]

I'm not a cyberpunk or edgerunner fan by any means, but I do feel like Lucy is probably like the least bad pick they could have done for a Strive guest character. She'll look great in Strive's art style, something I don't think any other character, even from edgerunner, would be able to pull off.

Still bummed we got a guest character, but at least it isn't the fifth game Terry or 2B will be in.

[books-are-my-life-stuff]

Ryoh shouldn't be allowed to make puns, ever.

[whydoifeelthisquiet]

Morality OCD sucks

[todayisafridaynight]

Prior to sending the ask I was just guessing what matrophobia meant based on the root words but I looked it up after and went ohhhh and then you confirmed that extra dimension to it and I went OHHHHH

I think that gets to the heart of what I've been thinking about, that bittersweetness, because despite his best efforts... of course he could never end up anything like Yoko, but he still ended up with an abusive "household." Because in addition to Masato ending up how he did, he has to see those same situations play out, feel that same tension in the air between Jo and Ichi, over and over for almost a decade straight.

Like, in a way, he's forced to put himself in Toshio's shoes when that happens. He can't really get through to Jo, in the same way Toshio can't get through to Yoko, but he can try to step in before lasting damage is done, and he can try to make it bearable for his son. You know. Have a nice talk. Treat him to Peking duck. I'm SO normal about the (drawn-out) parallels of those scenes

So then with Jo... he kind of does become his father, even if he never wanted to (no one wants to), both through his ruinous neglect of Masato at birth and through how he comes to look at discipline and corporal punishment. I'm sure it's not lost on him in Masato's case (owww), but with Ichi, it's not like he has any reason to see him as his son... But How Far Can That Take You.

Because it's like, at the start, he was openly beating Ichi in front of Arakawa and not letting up much when Arakawa intervened. But then you have The Yubitsume Scene and Arakawa walking in on All That and... he looks sorry. Sorry for being caught, probably, but sorry nonetheless. Like... what changed between then and now... have you two had a Heartfelt Conversation... do you know where Arakawa got that scar... are you unable to change your "nature" even then...

Side note bro your SHOE is the size of his TORSO I promise you do not need to kick him with all the strength you've got like what the hell is this 😭😭😭

BUT ALL THAT ASIDE thank you so much for delving into the symbolism! Wonderful read. I don't really have an eye for symbolism, so that makes it all the more enjoyable to revisit the comic and everything with what you've gone into. I think a lot of your experiences resonate with mine, so conversely I'm not sure what others would take away from it, BUT I think there's enough there that's so insightful and evocative that it's effective without personal experience. I don't think there's anything I could add, so. Yeah. For once I am happy to sit back and take it all in... On that note, definitely looking forward to your next comic!

AUUUGH YEAAAH YEAHEYA HYEAH THAT EXACTLY OUUUGH OWIEE OWW.....

that's literally it though. like no extra notes. except The Obligatory Few i dont think it was an accident that arakawa is set up as the beginning of the game's 'protagonist' and planting that 'troubled family' taste first thing in our mind. i remember how i felt when i first saw arakawa walk in on jo and ichi and then arakawa taking ichi out for dinner i was just like🧍‍♂️Girl No The Cycle.... It's Continuing...... //screams// LIKE UGH IT WAS SO GOOD BUT ALSO OWWW STOPPP and then on the REPLAY it just hurts more cause with the added context to jo's character its like Oh No...... You're Your Father's Son....

and youre right: jo doesn't have an implicit reason to see how he treats ichi is wrong, hence he similarly doesnt have any reason to stop- not unless arakawa intervenes of course (and i will stand outside my window thinking of the possibility arakawa ever did try to have A Conversation with jo... arms folded behind my back and all like Man™️....)

oh but yeah, absolutely no problem ! im lowkey of an egotist so i do like to talk bout the stuff i make. More In Depth (though thats obvious considering the fuckin essays in the tags i always leave ☠️☠️) gerjlgaELKjg. so i was happy to explain ♪(´▽｀) !! what i like about symbolism is that it can be intentional or not, and the fun is always finding it just by chance. i cant explain it properly, but i just think its a neat 'seasoning' of sorts to drawings (❁´◡`❁)

[jaspersforever]

goodbye academia, i'll miss you

[aberooski]

I love Taylor. I always have and to some degree I always will. She means too much to me and is such an important figure and source of joy and light in my life when I desperately needed, and a connection to my own father that I need desperately, to deny that I will always look on her fondly to some degree as silly as that may seem sometimes and to some people.

But that doesn't mean I don't/won't/can't be critical of her or be disappointed or disagree with choices she makes or has made, because I absolutely have been and I absolutely am.

My problem is that I always, with every fiber of my being, look for and try to see the best in people and believe in people until I absolutely can't anymore. Unless it's something truly reprehensible and irredeemable, my brain simply cannot comprehend the idea that one bad decision or mistake trust me I know she's made more than one lately can automatically invalidate or negate anything and everything good a person has ever done. I've genuinely tried to understand it and unfortunately, I can't wrap my head around the concept. I give grace to a fault. I get sad when I see things said about her in a negative light even when I completely understand and even agree, because I have so much love for her in my heart. It's that tride and true naive, blind optimism in me I guess.

But I do not in any way think she's a perfect person, I know she isn't, because nobody is. Some are just better at hiding that than others. She makes mistakes, she's wrong sometimes, she is a human being who messes up. Sometimes in big ways. And unfortunately she's messed up a few times over the last year or so and that makes me sad. It disappoints me because I love her so much, and I do want and expect better of her. And in the process of that, it makes me very sad that I feel like I have to hide the facet of myself that does still love her despite my disappointment in her or risk making people upset with me now because I'm so afraid of upsetting people. I'm terrified of doing or saying the wrong things I try so hard to do the best I can every day and it's disappointing to see her slip up. It's sad. It makes me very sad.

It's a complicated time to love her right now. I hope, in my heart of hearts, I sincerely hope that sooner rather than later it won't have to be that way anymore. Not just for me, but for all of us who feel that complexity or conflict of emotions.

[fingertipsmp3]

Guys I have a job interview at a law office and I don’t have a single fucking thing to wear

[mbat]

i feel like the biggest problems with lucifer wouldnt be there if it wasnt a show written by christians for christians and i do mean that

[curlicuecal]

playing science telephone

Hi folks. Let's play a fun game today called "unravelling bad science communication back to its source."

Journey with me.

Saw a comment going around on a tumblr thread that "sometimes the life expectancy of autism is cited in the 30s"

That number seemed..... strange. The commenter DID go on to say that that was "situational on people being awful and not… anything autism actually does", but you know what? Still a strange number. I feel compelled to fact check.

Quick Google "autism life expectancy" pulls up quite a few websites bandying around the number 39. Which is ~technically~ within the 30s, but already higher than the tumblr factoid would suggest. But, guess what. This number still sounds strange to me.

Most of the websites presenting this factoid present themselves as official autism resources and organizations (for parents, etc), and most of them vaguely wave towards "studies."

Ex: "Above And Beyond Therapy" has a whole article on "Does Autism Affect Life Expectancy" and states:

The link implies that it will take you to the "research studies" being referenced, but it in fact takes you to another random autism resource group called.... Songbird Care?

And on that website we find the factoid again:

Ooh, look. Now they've added the word "some". The average lifespan for SOME autistic people. Which the next group erased from the fact. The message shifts further.

And we have slightly more information about the study! (Which has also shifted from "studies" to a singular "study"). And we have another link!

Wonderfully, this link actually takes us to the actual peer-reviewed 2020 study being discussed. [x]

And here, just by reading the abstract, we find the most important information of all.

This study followed a cohort of adolescent and adult autistic people across a 20 year time period. Within that time period, 6.4% of the cohort died. Within that 6.4%, the average age of death was 39 years.

So this number is VERY MUCH not the average age of death for autistic people, or even the average age of death for the cohort of autistic people in that study. It is the average age of death IF you died young and within the 20 year period of the study (n=26), and also we don't even know the average starting age of participants without digging into earlier papers, except that it was 10 or older. (If you're curious, the researchers in the study suggested reduced self-sufficiency to be among the biggest risk factors for the early mortality group.)

But the number in the study has been removed from it's context, gradually modified and spread around the web, and modified some more, until it is pretty much a nonsense number that everyone is citing from everyone else.

There ARE two other numbers that pop up semi-frequently:

One cites the life expectancy at 58. I will leave finding the context for that number as an exercise for the audience, since none of the places I saw it gave a direct citation for where they were getting it.

And then, probably the best and most relevant number floating around out there (and the least frequently cited) draws from a 2023 study of over 17,000 UK people with an autism diagnosis, across 30 years. [x] This study estimated life expectancies between 70 and 77 years, varying with sex and presence/absence of a learning disability. (As compared to the UK 80-83 average for the population as a whole.)

This is a set of numbers that makes way more sense and is backed by way better data, but isn't quite as snappy a soundbite to pass around the internet. I'm gonna pass it around anyway, because I feel bad about how many scared internet people I stumbled across while doing this search.

People on quora like "I'm autistic, can I live past 38"-- honey, YES. omg.

---

tl;dr, when someone gives you a number out of context, consider that the context is probably important

also, make an amateur fact checker's life easier and CITE YOUR SOURCES

[b0ngwater69]

Thinking abt how i just get actively hindered by my own brain for a week every month without fail and how I've somehow survived this long being Like This

[gooobraghhh]

t4t sex I had that some of you might be interested in:

Started yesterday by sending nudes to a trans guy while he was at work in order to get him all riled up. When I picked him up I made him put a big toy in his boy cunt which he did in the passenger seat of my car like a good puppy. Proceeded to take him on hours of errands and a dinner date all the while whispering naughty things in his ear. He would whimper and moan whenever he had to lean or bend over which only made me put him in more situations where he had to do exactly that. By the end of it he was begging me to touch his aching tdick which I was willfully ignoring. He was constantly trying to touch himself over his clothes and bucking his hips in needy want for attention but I would bat his hand away. He even asked if he could get off while we were in traffic, I guess I can’t blame him though since I had been teasing him for 6 hours at that point. When we finally got home I gave him an edible as his treat, tied him up, blindfolded him and started thoroughly fucking him with toys making sure not to give him any attention on his throbbing dick. He was loudly pleading with me to touch him there or at least let him touch himself but why would I when his begging was sooo cute. I would occasionally let him rub against my thumb but I would never put enough pressure for him to really get anything out of it, I just liked watching him desperately move his hips up and down for me. After over an hour of this I finally agreed to let him touch himself as long as he promised to be a good puppy and cum nice and hard for me, as well as saying thank you when I got him off. He was so loud about how thankful he was and even louder when I started fucking him hard as he desperately rubbed a toy on his tdick trying his best to cum before I changed my mind. He finally got off and I felt him tighten up. As he kept repeating “thank you mommy” in a really cute voice. He was twitching and shaking and made a giant mess all over my bed like a bad dog so I made sure to spank him really hard as a punishment.

In total I started teasing him around noon and he finally got off at about 3am so you can imagine just how pent up I got him. I wonder if any other trans guys would like me to tease them like this.

[boowritess]

part 2 lol

so apparently it's really fucking hard to get into the SAS. and ontop of that I've been getting tiktoks of people going around an army base asking why they joined. most responses were to pay off student loans, bills, school, (someone said there's was 6 years of prison or school and *mental note for idea*), the recruiter lied or spoilt them, barracks bunny.

141 (poly?) x notsobaddasssoldier!reader

and now i can't stop thinking of soldier!reader. who really half-assed their way through everything - only doing the job for the money and to pay off student loans + they had nothing better to do.

who somehow ends up being adopted by Price (kinda like Gaz i guess ???) all because reader happened to be in the right place at the right time and saved Price's ass while managing to complete a mission the Task Force were doing.

and it's not that you saved his ass or completed the mission that makes Price go *this is mine* - it's the fact that afterwards all you can say is-

"this shit is so not worth paying off my student loans."

"oh fuck i forgot to cancel my subscription. fuckk- waste of fucking money"

- all the while a building is burning in front of you but yeah just not at all concerned about what had just happened. so price just *grabs you by the back of your neck and holds you up, claiming you as part of his task force now.*

(lol you probably can't do that irl but this is fiction sooo suck my ass.)

and laswell's just like no... they are very much still green john. way too green. no.

but it's too late. he's already introducing you to the task force. singing your praises and you're just like

"man he promised to pay off my student loans and give me food." basically how ur recruiter got ya ass.

enough said. you get the whole off the books speech, saving the world by doing things others wouldn't like. but u couldn't give a rats ass - you should but nah...

and like... you know you're the rookie... you're still green... but some of the shit 141 do you just...

"so you just gonna kidnap the wife AND the child...? right... kid, you wanna watch bluey? here..."

"and you do this often...? crazy."

but you don't exactly protest. how could you with how much you get paid. you kinda just side-eye and look away when it's geta a lil crazy. *bombastic side-eye*

and the other 141 guys - oh my days. become just as enormed as price and want to start really trying to amplify your skills. but every time, they start explaining how to do things - the best way to go about a situation or how to fight a certain way.

you pull this face. like your top lip pulls back, your eyebrows scrunch together, and there's a slight frown on your lips as they speak. like you look confused/disgusted. but you don't even realise cause-

"why're you pulling that face?" 141

"that's... that's just my focusing face..."

"oh..." 141 feels bad

then when they do take you in feild you're shaking your head no. like you haven't been around that long. what the fuck? now you're bout to infiltrate an enemy base!?!?!

"can i just wait in the car?"

"no." price

"i'm gonna vomit."

"aim at the enemy." ghost

people think that because you're suddenly in this badass task force that surely they're just using you for your assets.

they all think you're the 141 barracks bunny. and maybe you should be pissed or annoyed or grossed out. but all you can do is sigh and pause from the burger price got you, and let out a long exhale.

"fuck... maybe i can just do onlyfans or be a pornstar... shit maybe it's not too late..."

"military is bascially sex work - selling my body..."

"not that different from what i'm doing now. body being used, check. body sore in the strangest places, check."

your tone so empty, blank and nonchalant, but there's a serious look in your eyes that when you grab your phone out to maybe do a little research on how you could do that, your phone is snatched from your hand by one of the guys and they walk out the room without a second look back.

with an annoyed huff, you go back to eating your burger. but suddenly, you turn to the person who genuinely thought you were a barracks bunny.

"hey you think if i be a barracks bunny i get out of missions and shit?"

"...that's not how it works..." rando.

"fuck."

and maybe you try...

like you go to price's office and the guys are already in there, chatting about something that you should really pay attention too but you can't be assed. instead you unashamedly start to speak...

"if i suck ya'll dicks can i get out the mission?"

"no. you still have to join." gaz says amused

"even if you-" *que long sigh from price* "even if you suck our dicks."

"that's fucked up. i should've done porn."

and with the most hurt and broken-hearted look on your face, you leave the office, closing the door with a dramatic sigh. the guys just stare at the door in... confusion, amusement, and maybe arousal if ya'll dig that

idk man just gimmie more soldier!reader who just really ain't the fucked, there for money, lowkey hungry and doesn't know what the fuck is happening. kinda a pet or little sibling energy that the 141 love.

bonus*

"wait so they aren't sucking our dicks?" *soap says getting slapped in the back of the head by ghost

a/n: brain is rottinnggg. i should be doing so much other shit but... cod just consumes my brain 24/7